Austin Chapman
| image = Austin chapman.jpg | constituency_MP = Eden-Monaro | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = New seat | successor = John Perkins | term_start = 29 March 1901 | term_end = 12 January 1926 | birth_date = | birth_place = Near Bowral, New South Wales | death_date = | death_place = Sydney | nationality = Australian | spouse = Catherine O'Brien | party = Protectionist (1901–09) Liberal (1909–17) Nationalist (1917–26) | relations = Albert Chapman (brother) | children = James Austin Chapman John Austin Chapman | residence = | alma_mater = | occupation = Company director | profession = | religion = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} Sir Austin Chapman (10 July 1864 12 January 1926), Australian politician, was a member of several early federal ministries. He was born in Bong Bong near Bowral, New South Wales and educated at Marulan Public School and was apprenticed as a saddler at an early age. In about 1884 he went into business as a publican, storekeeper and auctioneer in Queanbeyan, and later became an investor and company director. Political career In 1894 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as MLA for Braidwood. Like most politicians from the southern border regions of New South Wales, he was an active supporter of federation of the Australian colonies. In 1901 Chapman was elected to the first House of Representatives as MP for the Division of Eden-Monaro (his brother Albert succeeded him as the member for Braidwood in the New South Wales Parliament). A Protectionist, he was Minister for Defence in the first ministry of Alfred Deakin (1903–04), Postmaster-General in the second Deakin ministry (1905–08), and Minister for Trade and Customs from 1907–08. After a long period on the backbench as a result of a stroke in 1909, which paralysed one of his arms, he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs and Minister for Health in the Bruce government in February 1923. He was criticised by both Nationalists and the Country Party and he resigned in May 1924 on the grounds of ill health and was subsequently made a . Chapman's most important contribution was his influence on the choice of the site of Australia's national capital, Canberra. He lobbied hard for the site on the Molonglo River near Queanbeyan, in his electorate. The success of his lobbying benefited many of his friends who owned land in the area, and also greatly boosted trade in Queanbeyan, the nearest town to the site. He was still MP for Eden-Monaro at the time of his death in Sydney of cerebro-vascular disease. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons, James Austin Chapman and John Austin Chapman who both became distinguished soldiers. The Canberra suburb of Chapman was named after him. References Category:1864 births Category:1926 deaths Category:Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Category:Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Cabinet of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Eden-Monaro Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Australian federationists Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:People from Bowral Category:People from Sydney Category:Australian auctioneers Category:Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Defence ministers of Australia Category:20th-century Australian politicians